How do you shrink the size of a workforce without firing anyone?
The reauthorization of the Patriot Act looks like a forgone conclusion.
The new Republican-led House of Representatives voted Thursday to cut its operating budget by 5% -- a move meant to reflect the GOP's desire to reduce the size of the federal government.
It is hard to believe that it has been an entire year since Jason Chaffetz and I undertook a project with CNN to chronicle, in video and in prose, our first year. Both of us have grown a lot along the way and learned many lessons, and I hope that our readers and viewers have a notion, as we now do, of what it is like to serve in Congress.
Some say seniority is everything in Washington. And I have none. In 2008, I asked the voters of Utah to trade in 12 years of seniority to take a chance on someone new. It was a hard sell.
The open, honest, and unscripted exchange between President Obama and House Republicans on Friday was a promising step in what I hope will be a more collaborative relationship between the president and the GOP conference.
After a failed Christmas Day terrorist plot on a U.S.-bound international flight, the airline passenger screening process has received heavy scrutiny from the government, the media and the public.
The men and women who are serving in our armed services are my heroes. I spent a week in the presence of true heroes -- men and women who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives, and depend on our support.
A year ago this week I packed up my cot and flew to Washington for freshman orientation. It was my first chance to meet fellow members of the freshman class. It's a fascinating experience to realize that someone in the class could potentially be a future speaker of the House, while someone else may serve two years and never come back.
At the House Republican strategy session in January, I stood before the Republican Conference and said, "I am your worst nightmare." It was a figure of speech, of course, but my point was that our campaign helped change the political equation for winning elections.
In reality, there's a lot more to serving in Congress than simply voting on the House floor. There are plenty of tasks -- technically optional -- that are essential for someone who wants to do this job well.
Amid charges of incivility, lying and even racism, the health care debate has gotten nasty. Although many Americans voted for this president, they seem to have doubts about his health care ideas.
Fundamentally at its core, I simply disagree with the president.
As a candidate for Congress two years ago, I spent my summer on the phone.
Fiscally-stressed states are using their stimulus dollars to satisfy immediate needs rather than undertake longer-term reforms, according to a government report released Wednesday.
If you ask each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives whether they believe in cutting government waste, I'm willing to bet they'll all say yes.
I knew when I ran for Congress that fighting would be part of the job description. I came here to fight for what I believe in, to fight to be heard and to fight for the interests of the people I serve. The problem is, so did everyone else.
As a freshman in the minority party, I have to work hard and work smart if I want to get legislation passed. I'm in the very familiar position of having the odds stacked against me.
I spent a week during the congressional recess in the presence of true heroes -- men and women serving in our armed forces who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives and depend on our support.
On April 1, I got ambushed by Democrats. Upon returning from the House floor, I found that my living quarters in my office had been sabotaged by staffers of Rep. Jared Polis.
The United States Congress inhabits a very different world than the one I came from.
It was good to spend a week at home. It marked the first time I have been able to spend any substantial time at home and in my district since starting my freshman year in Congress.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz suits up in black tie for a Washington dinner where he scoffs at the fancy first course and sheepishly meets Miss America.
In the third installment, two freshman Congressmen document their experience on the Hill.
Stimulus. Stimulus. Stimulus. This story doesn't just dominate the headlines -- it dominates the phone lines.
What's it really like to be a new member of the world's most powerful legislature? Two new U.S. representatives are teaming up with CNN.com to report their "Freshman Year" experience through videos and commentaries.
I have been a congressman for 35 days.
I do something a bit different than most members of Congress. I sleep in my office on a cot. A few months ago, I was speaking with a current member of Congress and he said he slept in his office. Awesome!
In a time of economic turmoil, most Americans are being frugal with their money, but one freshman congressman is taking cost-cutting to a new level.
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